My eyes widen, but I have no time to be shocked. I spin around and quickly pull out a knife. The man looks up, eyes amused. I grit my teeth and plunge the knife into his neck. He doesn't look amused at that. He looks dead. My hands shake slightly and I can practically hear the crimson droplets hitting the leaves scattered on the forest floor. How long has it been since I killed someone? Not an Infected, but an actual person? The man who tried to steal our supplies roughly 6 weeks ago. He must have been the most recent. I close my eyes in shame, but what else could I have done? Yes, I could have beat the man unconscious, but he would have woken up eventually. I curl my nails into my palm, and grab his feet. He's tall, but like all the survivors, he's skinny. I use all my muscle possible to drag him in the opposite direction I'll lead Ace tomorrow. He won't ever need to know. The blood on my hands is just that-mine.
I take about ten minutes, but it feels like an hour. My head is telling me I'm too loud, but I can't stop. Sunrise is soon. And even though I hate the daytime, it is a hell of a lot warmer, and, Ace has an internal alarm clock embedded in his brain. He said that's what University does to you. Not like I would, or ever will, know that first hand. I spot a particularly wide tree, and pull the man towards there. My breathing is loud. I'm not even trying to conceal it anymore. My arms are aching with dull throbs, and I end up letting go of him a meter away from the tree, giving up. I look behind me to see the faintest rays of pink and orange. I jog towards the camp. Once I reach it, I place my hands on a tree, and start letting myself really breath in hopes that my breath will be under control by the time Ace wakes up. And that's when I notice the blood caked onto my hands. I gasp. This would be a dead giveaway. I look at the water bottle I dropped off on the ground. Would I really be desperate enough to use it to wash my hands so Ace doesn't know? But when my mouth starts salivating just thinking about water, I accept the fact that I won't do it.
I scratch my hands, but that doesn't help. Once blood is on your hands, it's almost impossible to remove. What an unintentionally metaphorical statement. I pull the sleeves of my ripped long sleeve down and hope for the best when I hear stirring inside the tent. I walk over carefully.
"Ace?" I try to stop my voice from shaking.
"What," he groans impatiently. I manage the smallest of smiles, and then grab a stick. I use it to poke him through the tent.
"Get out, we are moving base. Today." He's silent after I say that. Almost as if that was the phrase that snapped him back into reality. Like he thought this is all just a nightmare, only to find out that it's reality. And that happens every time I announce what we're going to do. And every time and I hate myself for it.
"OK," he says quietly, but loud enough for me to hear. I start gathering all the supplies into the three duffel bags we have. By the time Ace gets up, three quarters of the camp is packed, and I scowl at him, my sympathy slowly draining, along with my patience. He then motions for me to sit on the log with his arm, and I do so. He packs the rest. Soon enough, it looks as if we weren't here. I even take the per caution of spreading the leaves where the tent was to rid of the rectangular difference in level.
"Where are we headed?" I smile wide, glad his back is turned.
"Trust me," I answer, and he doesn't ask any questions. He grabs two duffel bags while I grab one. I would've grabbed two but I'm the best with fighting, and I need either a knife or machete with me at all times. I starts moving, and while he cocks an eyebrow as I pass him, he follows without question. I start moving down the path. I don't waste time gazing around trees. I saw this all yesterday night. I've learned to listen with my eyes and my hands and my nose, not just my ears. I guess that's what survival does to you.
"When is your time of the month," Ace blurts out. I feel my face turn amused as I chuckle lightly, but when I look back, he's serious.
"Ace, for the millionth time, I don't get it! It stops with stress and-"
"You're stressed? About what?"
"Well in case you haven't noticed, we are fighting for survival. Maybe that has something to do with it," I say in an icy tone, and he promptly shuts his mouth. We continue the walk in silence.Soon enough, Ace says he can hear rushing water. I pretend to be surprised, but my excitement was very real. Within a few minutes, we reach the stream. Instead of rushing towards the river, me and Ace look at each other, and with a nod we quickly crouch behind trees. Once both of us signal our area clear, we walk cautiously towards the water.
"The cave," I mutter underneath my breath as I stare at the waterfall.
"What did you say?" Shit...
"You should check if there's a cave behind the waterfall," I say smoothly, mentally priding myself for being such a fluent liar.
"You're right!" And with that, he jogs off. Within half a minute, I'm nearly knocked over as he grabs my arm and pulls me towards it.
"You were right! There is a cave!" He whispers but he might as well be shouting because he is so excited he can't hear how loud he is. I see him smile, and for a second, it's like we're kids again. Giggling and laughing and happy. And that's when his falls to mine accidentally, and he feels the crusted blood. The moment shatters into a million pieces, then disappears as he closes his eyes and sighs at what I am. About who I've become.
YOU ARE READING
Fighting The Disease
AcţiunePeople say that they can't wait for the apocalypse. They play video games and shoot them, and suddenly, they're prepared. But the games don't show the real way. They show killing random people. What about your friends? Your family? Love isn't enough...